Thursday, September 4, 2008

Nothing but Pears and Hair.

Only nerves of steel kept me from my emotional eating rut yesterday. I could have really lost it. But no amount of emotional food pampering is worth that $100 bucks - Yet.

The only money I spent today after starting on our month of nothing was for rings and lids for my canning bottles and some Fruit Fresh. Why? Because I have two whole boxes of pears that were ripe and needed to be taken care of. It wasn’t much but it added up to $28 bucks. I’m sure the prices were jacked up because I bought them at our small town – high priced store. But I figured that if I had to travel to a cheaper location I’d spend the difference in gas.

So I purchased my goodies, came home, whipped out my rusty Hot Water Bath Canner and went to work. I had no idea I was such a slow and messy canner. I succeeded in making the kitchen a sticky hazard you can’t help but cringe as you walk through. It was too messy to take pictures of and I only made it through one box of pears. So when I finish destroying my kitchen on saturday I'll show you my first attempt at canning pears.

Hope managed to mess up the rest of the house as I was occupied with the fruits. Most of the time she was right with me… But - every now and then she would wander off and I would leave her be because my hands were covered in goo. But as soon as I found a minute to pause I’d herd her back into the rooms by me. I must have had my blinders on because I never really paid attention to what she was doing; I was so occupied with getting back to my sticky chore.

Long story short (when do I do anything quickly) Hope had found some scissors and no amount of curl spring could cover the fact that one side of her head of hair was a good 3-4 inches shorter than the other side. Sooo….

I decided it was time for Hope to have her first official hair-cut. Even though she’s had her bangs trimmed and she’s wacked at it some 20 odd times. Now I was going to do my best to even things out. My only problem was her hair is so curly it was really hard to straighten it to the point of even-ing it out, and I’m no hair dresser. My idea of hair management is a ponytail. But I tried and tried and tried some more and this is what she looks like now...

And the bathroom counter looks like…

Still a curly top but I’m really going to miss those long ringlets.

Everyone in the family is supporting the whole month of needs except for my O.D.D. child and he just likes to whine about everything anyway. But he’s been having a lot harder time the past few days. It could be that his school started as well and his girlfriend is going out with someone else. But it’s been a bear to deal with. I’m thinking about taking the rest of the kids on evening walks after he gets home from school just so we can get out of the house while he cools down.

Today, Prince Erik is leaving for ID so he can ride the Idiot Uphill, I mean Bogus Basin Bike Race. Lea is the lucky kid that get’s to join him. In fitting with our month of needs he is skipping the hotel and is going to sleep on an air mattress on Fancy’s parent’s floor. They kindly agreed to host total strangers. Wow! People can be so nice. It helps, I think, that Fancy’s Dad is a bike dude himself. Prince Erik’s also packing his own food so there will be no eating out. I so wish I was going with him but there is, as always, a lot going on here at home. Next year. And maybe I’ll shock him and beat him up the mountain.

7 comments:

Bogus! I know that ride!I grew up in thetiny but growing town of--well, I won't say, some people are a bit nervous about that, but let's just say I was a Kaveman, (or woman as the case may be.) I miss my Idaho mountains.I tim my family's hair too and I;m contemplating doing my own "split-ends" trim.I'll be checking back with interest to see how you're gettng along.

Awww..Hope is rockin' the cute little curly bob! Don't cry. As Princess & Lea have already demonstrated, it will grow back before you know it. Your family is more follicularly prolific than anyone I know!

The haircut is absolutely adorable (but I have to admit I almost cried seeing the pix of the curls).

I have never even tried canning, so you're one step ahead of me. Of course, we seldom live anywhere long enough to make it worth the effort! When I do plant some veggies I love to freeze them for winter use, though.

Thanks for the oh so kind words you left on my 30 days of nothing post. You are just so sweet!

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Henry David Thoreaufrom the "Conclusion" to Walden

I Belong...

". . .Dear women, I say thanks to you. Thank you for being the kind of people you are and doing the things you do. May the blessings of heaven rest upon you. May your prayers be answered and your hopes and dreams become realities. . .May you live with love one for another. May you reach down to lift up those whose burdens are heavy. May you bring light and beauty to the world and particularly into your homes and into the lives of your children. . . You may never know how much good you accomplish. Someone's life will be blessed by your effort. . . " President Gordon B. Hinckley